Guitar Tuning And How To Tune A Guitar April 9, 2008
Posted by google in : music news , add a commentThere are many different ways to approach guitar tuning. We’ll touch on a couple of the more effective methods on how to tune a guitar. Not necessarily the most popular as some methods, though extensively used, are considered ‘bad habits’ rather than genuine, effective guitar tuning alternatives.
The guitar standard tuning is as follows:
STRING - 6th String (bottom, bass, low) NOTE - E
5th String - A
4th String - D
3rd String - G
2nd String - B
1st String (top, treble, high) - E
Tips For Any Guitar Tuning Method
First, lets cover a few things that every player should know when taking the proper approach to guitar tuning and how to learn to tune guitar.
Learn to attach the strings to the machine heads properly. Never try to tune down to a note. Stretch the strings and tune up to the note. Tuning heads have a certain amount of ‘play’ in them so make a couple of deep bends and then fine tune the string. Before tuning a suspect string, check it against both adjacent strings to determine which string is actually out of tune. The string you suspect may not even be the culprit. When tuning a guitar with a vibrato arm, tune the string, give the arm a good shake, stretch the string, give the arm another shake and fine tune.
Veterans of guitar playing will already know these things so if you’re a beginner and just learning to play the guitar, you’re already ahead of the game if you implement these practices into your routine. For a great tool visit http://www.guitarmusician.com/guitar-tuner.htm
Here’s A Quick Method For Guitar Tuning
Tune the treble (high) E string to an A440 tuning fork by holding your finger on the 5th fret, then tune the open B string to the open treble E string – listening to the interval of a fourth. It’s easy to hear the fourth in that register.
Play the A note fretted at the 2nd fret of the G string, and compare it to the open treble E string – you’re listening for a perfect fifth interval.
Fret the 2nd fret E note on the D string and compare it to the treble E string open. Double check this by fretting the E note on the 14th fret of the D string.
Now tune the 7th fret harmonic on the A string (an E note) to the open treble E string.
Finally, tune the 5th fret harmonic on the bass E string to the open treble E string.
This is a simple guitar tuning method that works well.
The Importance Of Undertaking A Warm Up Activity Before Singing April 2, 2008
Posted by google in : music news , add a commentIt is always absolutely essential for singers to undertake warm up exercises before every performance. Singing is something that can be physically draining for a person. Being a singer involves more than simply going up on stage and singing songs. There is also a great deal of practice along with many hours of preparation involved.
Singing is exactly the same as exercising. An effective warm up routine is required in order to be able to perform well. For this reason, it is essential for a singer to warm up the vocal cords before any performance, in order to endure the strains that singing can, at times, deliver. Listed below are more valid reasons as to why it is important for a singer to undertake warm up exercises before any performance:
1. To Get In Touch With Himself
It is important that a singer is both psychologically and physically conditioned to the task of singing. In doing so, the singer will be able to deliver better notes, and feel the song. A beautiful rendition of a song is not only because the singer sung it well, but also because they sang it with the right emotions overflowing.
2. To Energize Himself
Warming up the voice gives the singer the required strength in their voice to execute high notes. The singer will certainly fall short of breath without this energy, and lack the ability to sing song after song.
3. To Loosen Up The Muscles
It is usual for a singer to articulate before giving a performance, in order to loosen their jaws, lips, and tongues, so that they can correctly pronounce the words of the song. This also assists their expiratory airflow system.
4. To Eliminate Vocal Injuries
Many people are not aware of the fact that injury can be caused to the vocal cords when they are not correctly warmed up. If a series of songs are sung that require high notes, then severe injury can be a result of not warming up correctly. Of course, no singer wishes to attain injuries, as it would mean that they cannot sing again until the vocal cords are healed.
5. To Obtain a Nice Vocal Timbre
A singer is not only prepared when they have undertaken warm ups, but they can also serve as a training method for the achievement of an even more melodious voice. The pharynx can also be shaped and formed in the correct way, when the warm up exercises are undertaken frequently.
It is not simply a requirement that singers undertakes warm up exercises before a performance. The exercises are primarily undertaken in order to protect the singer’s voices, as well as to preserve it. The importance of warming up exercises should not be ignored. They are essential in maintaining the melodious voice of a singer.
The King Of Jazz Clarinet Benny Goodman April 2, 2008
Posted by google in : music news , add a commentBorn May 30, 1909 in Chicago, Benjamin David Goodman would grow up to be known as the King of Swing. He was the ninth born and had eleven siblings. His musical career began at the young age of ten when his father decided to enroll Benny and his two older brothers in Kehelah Jacob Synagogue where they took music lessons and he later benefited from lessons given to him by Franz Schoepp, who was a classical clarinetist. With Benny’s interest and passion for playing, it was not long before he was playing professionally. In fact, he was playing professionally before he was sixteen, which goes to show the kind of natural talent this individual had.
At the age of sixteen, Benjamin was playing with the Ben Pollack orchestra, who he remained with until 1929. During his time with the orchestra, he made some of his first recordings, including the creation of his own record. It was with this band that he really started to become quite a success and the success continued on through the 1930s, which his father was not fortunate enough to see as he had passed away in an accident after Benny had joined the Ben Pollack orchestra. While the death hit Benny hard and he always regretted that his father had refused to retire when Benny had offered to take care of him and his mother, the tragedy did not slow him down in his career. His reputation continued to grow, but this does not mean that things were becoming any easier. During a tour in 1935, Goodman’s band nearly broke up because of the immense stress they were under. The type of jazz they were playing was quite a bit different than the jazz most people were accustomed to and it was not always accepted.
Benjamin Goodman was so influential in his music that it is said that without Benny there would have been no swing music. He was known as a virtuoso clarinetist and one of the best jazz clarinetists of the time. He was innovative and experimental with his music, so much so that it took time before some people were able to accept it. Finally, in the year of 1957, he was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame for his exceptional talent. Even after the induction, he continued to play with as much interest and energy, perhaps even with more than he did before. He played in small groups with other musicians, recorded his music, played in festivals and participated in tours, but did not limit himself to playing jazz throughout all this.
He played the swing he was best known for and also continued to play some classical music, which was really his roots as classical was some of the first music he was taught to play when he was young. In later years, his health deteriorated, but he continued to play until his death in 1986 when he passed away of a heart attack at the age of 77. It seems that even after passing, his influence was still strong as he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award later that year
Jazz Pianist And Composer Oscar Peterson April 2, 2008
Posted by google in : music news , add a commentOriginally from Montreal, Quebec, Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was born August 15 in the year 1925 and would begin his musical career in the year of 1945. He would grow up to have a long and very successful musical career and would also come to be regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the time. Unlike many other well-known musicians he lived a very long life, passing away at the age of 82 on December 23, 2007 in Ontario. Throughout his life, he played live concerts around the world, recorded many albums, won numerous Grammy awards and many other awards for his music.
At the early age of five years, Oscar Peterson began playing the trumpet and the piano, which his father and sister taught him how to play; however, his interests soon turned toward the piano as a result of suffering from tuberculosis that made playing the trumpet difficult. Besides his father and sister, Oscar also learned from Paul de Marky, who was also a classical pianist. Even thought most of the music he was taught was classical, he was extremely interested by jazz. Before the age of ten, the talent started to show through his amazing control of his piano playing. This could be attributed to his intense practice, which was between four and six hours a day. His amazing control could very well be attributed to his extreme self-discipline in music, though the time he spent practicing shortened to about two hours a day after a few years.
The first award he won was at the age of fourteen, when he participated in a national music competition. It was this moment that really changed his life. He left school and immediately began his career by playing professionally in hotels, music halls and on a radio show. He later went on to play in duets, trios, and quartets. It was then during the 1950s when his reputation as one of the worlds leading jazz pianists was made that he began to play in small bands, quartets, trios, duets and even solos, though solos were not something he did very often. He did, however, create a few albums that were solos. Besides his playing, Oscar was also known for some of the music he composed. He wrote some songs, but also composed numerous pieces for the piano that were for trios and quartets and big band.
Though it may not seem it when watching him play, Oscar had suffered arthritis since he was very young and one would think that this could make playing the piano quite difficult. Later in his life, he also suffered a stroke that made playing even more difficult, but he did not allow any of his health problems to get in the way of his playing. He continued to play in the 90s, even if it was more with one hand, and continued to make both live and studio recordings. He was a man that was dedicated to his music and would not let anything get in the way of his playing if he could help it. During his 65 year career, he won no less than seven Grammy awards for his talent and his many recordings continue to be listened to and enjoyed today.
